Nobody wants their organs to be working overtime, but the truth is that having an overactive bladder is a pretty common condition, and, unfortunately, one that can make life a bit difficult. Perhaps you’ve heard about it; perhaps you’ve been trying to figure out whether your body’s working the way it should and whether what’s happening is normal. The good news is that, frequently, a doctor can easily diagnose an overactive bladder and suggest some solutions for living with one.
Symptoms of an overactive bladder
Of course, everyone needs to pee multiple times a day, but there are some signs to look out for if you suspect an overactive bladder. In particular, you might be experiencing an overactive bladder if you:
- get really strong, sudden urges to urinate—and sometimes can’t make it to the bathroom in time
- pee more than eight times a day (without drinking tons of fluids)
- regularly wake up multiple times in the night to go to the bathroom
If you’re leaking when doing things like laughing, sneezing, or working out, you might be experiencing a different kind of urinary incontinence called stress incontinence, which occurs for slightly different reasons and has different treatments.
What do to do if you think you have an overactive bladder
It might sound obvious, but the best thing to do if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms above is to talk to a doctor about it. A lot of people don’t.
Older women often think it’s a normal part of aging and something they just have to deal with, and younger women are often too ashamed of the symptoms to bring it up with anyone. But trust us: you won’t be the first overactive bladder your doctor sees this year—probably not even this week, and maybe not even today. It can be easy to dismiss leaks as anomalies or fluke accidents—and there’s no doubt that seeing a doctor is a big step that can make the problem seem quite real. But being able to give your symptoms a real diagnosis—and figuring out a way to treat them—will give you peace of mind and make you feel so much better.
Remember, about 33 million Americans have overactive bladder, and about 30 percent of women live with overactive bladder symptoms—and that’s just according to statistics on those who report it. Often, people don’t want to talk about or admit that they’re having pee problems (and yeah, we totally get that). But while it can be embarrassing to be running to the bathroom every few minutes or being at a party and suddenly feeling a trickle running down your leg—we’ve been there!
While overactive bladder can certainly occur due to aging, one of the biggest misconceptions about the problem is that it only occurs in women over 40 or who are postmenopausal. In reality, about 17 percent of women over the age of 18 deal with it, and in one study with participants who had a median age of 22, 10 percent showed symptoms.
We’re throwing a lot of numbers at you here, but what they really boil down to is the fact that overactive bladder is actually quite common regardless of age.
Causes of an overactive bladder
So what is an overactive bladder, exactly? It’s a type of urinary incontinence that makes itself known by an uncontrollable urge to pee. It means you might leak or you might have to go to the bathroom constantly—or a combination of both. Overactive bladder happens when your bladder contracts more often than it needs to; usually, it only contracts when it’s full, but with overactive bladder, it contracts more frequently.
There’s no one reason why this occurs, and it can be due to anything from neurological problems to UTIs to medications to too much caffeine. It’s also quite common in women after giving birth, and obesity can also increase the risk. But regardless of the cause—which often remains a mystery even when overactive bladder is diagnosed—there’s no doubt that overactive bladder disrupts your life and, frankly, isn’t welcome.
After all, if anything should be overactive it should be you: working hard, going out, exercising, spending time with friends and family. So knowing what an overactive bladder’s all about and finding the right solutions that work for you is really important. And so is knowing that you’re not alone.